Complaint Handling

Help with complaints The Society has complaint handling information in Bangladeshi, English, Hindi, Polish and Punjabi available. Solicitors in our area handle thousands of client cases every year and the majority are completed to the total satisfaction of the client.  Sometimes the work or conduct of the solicitor is the subject of a complaint. This may be a result of a misunderstanding or a breakdown in communication or may be more serious concerning poor service, fees, conduct or in some instances, negligence.

Taking action with complaints Whatever your complaint, we can help you decide what action you should take. If the matter concerns poor service we hope to resolve this quickly using our local complaints conciliation scheme. Role of the society  The Society acts as a mediator encouraging Solicitors to deal effectively with complaints made against them.   The Society’s role is not represent either party;  the Society will not offer a second opinion on the substance of legal advice given. The Society is not a regulatory body and does not have powers to discipline its members and does not deal with non-solicitors e.g. licensed conveyancers. The Society will act quickly to facilitate a resolution of many disputes before they go too far.

Making a complaint All firms of solicitors are required by The Solictors Regulation Authority to have a dedicated complaints procedure. Most complaints are dealt with quickly and effectively by the firm concerned. You should contact your solicitor's firm immediately if you wish to complain. Ask for the partner responsible for handling complaints. Should the matter not be resolved: contact us using the online form or telephone our Administrator Peter Hesom on 07930 386798.

Next Steps:

We will record details of your complaint.

These details will be passed to one of our Complaints Officers (a past President of the Middlesex Law Society) who will:

• contact your solicitor's firm to tell them that a complaint has been made.
• discuss what steps can be taken to resolve the matter. 
• offer to conciliate between you and your solicitor, where appropriate.
• take whatever steps they feel appropriate to assist you and your solicitors to resolve the matter.

Should the matter not be resolved:
The complaint will be passed to the Consumer Complaints Service at The Solicitors Regulation Authority, who are the regulatory body for the profession.